Mirages
by Taurichik
Summary: Caves made of crystal. Ancient Greek written on the walls. A hidden power source. And mysterious beings who have the men of SG1 under their spell...
1. Chapter 1

"SG-1, your next assignment is P3W Z99. Major Carter's made some interesting discoveries concerning this planet. Major?"

Sam nodded to the general, and stood up. "Thank you, Sir." She pointed to the projector screen, where the MALP video data was shown as pictures. "We scouted this planet yesterday. The gate seems to be inside some sort of crystal caves. We're not quite sure what the crystal is, though. We detected some high energy readings approximately five kilometers from the gate. From what we can tell, it's not dangerous, and it could be a sign of an advanced alien race. At the very least, we should look for whatever is giving off this much energy, we may be able to bring it back to study."

Daniel squinted at the screen. "Sam, can you zoom in a little closer on the walls?"

"Sure"

"There," he said, pointing at what were obviously writings of some kind. "Sir, I'd like to check these out if you don't mind, maybe they'll give us some clue about the race we'll be dealing with."

Hammond nodded, and stood up. "Very good. Get on that right away, Doctor Jackson. You all depart tomorrow at 0700 hours. Dismissed." He walked into his office, closing the door behind him.

Jack clapped his hands. "Well, Campers, looks like it's going to be another fun exploration mission. I'm going to get some lunch. Anyone interested?" Teal'c declined, as did Daniel, but Sam said she'd go with him.

"So, any plans for next weekend?" he asked her. "I was thinking, we could go up to my cabin, just you and me. Whaddya think?" Sam and Jack had been dating since the reunion. Sure, it was against regulations, but nobody had called them on it yet. Of course, nobody knew besides Daniel, Teal'c and Janet, but it wasn't like they were hiding it from Hammond – they just forgot to mention it.

She looked over at him, smiling. "That sounds great, Jack." Nowadays, they only referred to each other by their ranks when they were with other people at the SGC. In private, it was just Jack and Sam.

They walked into the commissary, and picked up some trays. Jack grabbed a sandwich and milk, Sam got a plate of lemon chicken (you never know when McKay will come to call) and some blue jello. They sat down at a secluded table in the corner, and discussed their latest mission. It wasn't out of the ordinary to find a gate inside some other structure, but the fact that it was inside a natural cave system was a little puzzling. There was no way, that Sam could see, that anyone would have been able to move the gate in there. It was obvious that there had been some sort of civilization there at some point, just from the writing on the crystal walls.

They finished their meal, and stood up. "Well, Sir, I have to get back to my lab," Sam said apologetically, putting her tray back and throwing out her garbage. "I need to finishing analyzing all the data we got back from the MALP."

"No problem, Carter. Hey," he said, lowering his voice, "we still on for dinner tonight?"

She smiled at him. "Of course. See you at six." He watched her go, wondering what he could do to pass the time. He still had some paperwork to do – he hadn't finished his mission report from their last offworld mission, and he always made it his policy to at least hand it in before leaving on a new assignment.

He opened the door to his office, and turned on his computer. He noticed that he had 15 new emails, which was odd, because only about five people had that address, and all of them worked at the SGC. He opened one of them, and sighed. It was another of those bloody pictures. Ever since that reunion a few weeks ago, Daniel had been sending him that picture every hour, on the hour. Jack wasn't sure, but he thought he'd shown it to every member of SGs 2, 4, 5, 7 and 10. Somehow, the picture still hadn't made it's way to Hammond, which was something of a puzzle in itself – you normally couldn't keep something like this a secret from anybody very long at the SGC, especially not the man in charge. Oh, well, Jack shrugged as he deleted the new emails. I guess I should be thankful I haven't been shipped to Antarctica for this, 'cause that's probably what would happen if the general ever found out. He sighed, and opened the file to finish his report.


	2. Chapter 2

"It's an ancient, obscure Greek dialect. Basically, it's a warning; 'Only those with determination, strength, and the will to succeed may leave this world unharmed. Beware, ye weak of spirit and heart, for you will be doomed to roam this labyrinth for all time…' I can't make out this part, it's been damaged, but it goes on to talk about the 'guardians three, ' Pisinoe, Aglaope and Thelxiepi." Daniel looked at his friends expectantly. He received only blank stares. He sighed, wishing once again that they knew as much as he did about mythology. That would make this soooo much easier. "In Greek mythology, they were the Sirens, three daughters of the river god Achelous. They would sit on rocks in the middle of the ocean, and sing for any passing ships. The ship's crew, entranced by their song, would sail closer, to be sunk on the rocks and die."

"That's very interesting, Daniel, but what does that have to do with us? Is there any danger from these Sirens?" Jack asked, always skeptical when it came to cryptic warnings about ancient monsters.

Daniel looked back at the computer screen. "Ah, no, it was probably just meant as a warning for the superstitious. They're just a myth."

Sam cleared her throat. "Um, Daniel? Didn't you used to think that the Egyptian gods were just a myth, too?" She didn't want to run into an ambush against three singing hypnotists – no matter how silly that sounded.

He sighed. "Yes, but this is different. Even the Goa'uld who take on the persona of the Greek gods, like Cronus and Pelops, use the same writing all the Goa'uld use, a variant of ancient Egyptian. I've never seen any evidence that the Goa'uld even know the Greek language, and they certainly never use it to write out their warnings. If it was the Goa'uld, they'd use their own language," he finished, shutting down his computer.

"I concur," Teal'c agreed.

That doesn't exactly answer my question, Sam thought, it just shows that the Goa'uld probably aren't involved.

"Well, anyways, now that I've got this translated, I'm going home to catch some sleep," Daniel said, escorting them out of his lab and turning off the lights. "I'll see you three tomorrow, six a.m.!" He grimaced at the thought, and walked toward the elevator. "Goodnight!" he called.

"Goodnight."

"See ya tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel signed out and headed for his car, thinking. He knew that the Sirens were just a myth, but Sam did have a point. There could be some sort of guardian, other than the mythical creatures, to watch over the power source. There could be traps, like the Hall of Thor's Might on Cimmeria. Well, if it was like that, Daniel decided, they could handle it. Heck, this time they'd have Teal'c and Jack with them! It'd be no problem.


	3. Chapter 3

"Goodnight, Jack," Sam said, kissing him one last time before she went into her house. She'd invite him in, if they both didn't have to be at work the next day. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"'Night, Sam," he said, finally letting go of her hand. She closed the door, watching him walk to his truck. She sighed, thinking how lucky she was to finally be able to express her feelings about him, without worrying about work or whether he would reciprocate them.

Finally, after leaning against the door for several minutes, she picked herself up and went to get changed to something more comfortable. She decided to take a bath, too, because who knew how long they'd be on that planet? She spent half an hour in the tub, just enjoying the time by herself. She only got out when the water started to get cold, and changed into her pajamas. She wandered into the kitchen to find herself a snack. She made some popcorn while she turned on her computer, checking the time as she did so. It was 8:30 – she'd have to get up at five. She grabbed her popcorn, sat down in front of her computer, and checked her emails. She had 25, but that wasn't out of the ordinary – a lot of people had her email. Most of them, however, were from Daniel. That stupid picture again. Actually, she wouldn't tell anyone this, but she'd liked the picture so much that she'd printed off a copy and framed it. She'd put it on her bedside table – no one knew except for Jack.

She sighed, and deleted all the ones from Daniel. She started to read a funny message Janet had sent her, when she remembered the Sirens. She decided that, even though Daniel didn't think they were any threat, a little background check wouldn't hurt. She searched for _Greek mythology – Sirens_ on the net, and sat back with her popcorn to read up on them. Apparently, they had been the playmates of some goddess named Persephone, and because they hadn't done anything when she was taken by the god of the underworld, Persephone's mother, Demeter, turned them into half birds, half women. They ended up on rock island, singing to sailors as they went by, tempting them to their deaths. Only twice in the history of Greek mythology had anyone got past them alive, once by the sailors covering their ears with beeswax, and the other time by having some guy play music that was better than the Sirens. Hmm. She didn't know about Daniel, but some of this could be useful. She stored this information in her mind, just in case.

Schrodinger came over and butted his head against her leg, reminding her that it was dinnertime. "Yes, Shrodinger, I'm coming. I think I've learned all I can for the time being, anyways. She shut her computer off to feed her cat. She listened to her cat purr as he mowed down his supper, while she finished the last of her popcorn and thought about the Sirens. The Greeks certainly had some interesting myths. Still, if it wasn't a myth, there might be more danger to this mission than the crystal walls and caverns of this planet let on.


	4. Chapter 4

"SG-1, you have a go," Hammond's voice boomed from the control room. Jack nodded to them, making sure they were all ready to go, and headed up the ramp. Teal'c took up the rear, following Daniel. They stepped through the Stargate.

In a flash, they were there. Jack was already scouting ahead, making sure there weren't any bad guys waiting around the corner. Daniel looked around in awe, and wondered how this civilization had come to be here, as there was no evidence of ventilation shafts, or even a way to get the Stargate in there. He ran his fingers along the glyphs on the walls, wondering who had carved them, and how long ago.

"Well, Carter? Which way do we go?" He indicated the two different tunnels, leading in opposite directions.

Sam took out her instruments to determine which way the energy waves were coming from. "That way, Sir," she said, pointing to the tunnel on the left.

"Then that's where we're headed. Daniel, stop playing with the walls. Teal'c, watch our six." With that, he motioned for Carter to take the lead, and followed her through the tunnel.

---------------

"Wow, this is amazing!" Daniel exclaimed, running his fingers along the walls. They were in a large cavern, larger than any cathedral Daniel had ever been in. The ceiling was so high, their flashlights didn't light it. Spikes of crystal shot up from the floor along around the edges of the cavern. "The crystal is perfectly smooth. It seems natural, but the tunnels had to have been man-made. Or alien-made," he amended. He knelt to pick up a piece of a crystal, which seemed to have fallen off the crystal spikes somehow. Teal'c didn't wait for him, knowing he would catch up with the group once he'd put the crystal in his pocket. Daniel examined the strange pink sheen of the crystal, fascinated by the lights that danced within it. He stood up and put it in his pocket, turning to catch up with his friends.

"_Daaanieeel"_ The voice sounded feminine, and far away.

"I'm coming, Sam!" Daniel shouted, closing the Velcro flap on his vest pocket and running to catch up with them.

He ran up ahead of Teal'c, and caught up with Carter. "What?" he asked her, breathing heavily. The air was a tad thinner on this planet than Earth's.

She looked up at him from her instruments. "Hmm? What is it, Daniel?"

He looked at her, puzzled. "Didn't you just call me?"

She wrinkled her brow, equally puzzled. "No, I didn't." She shook her head.

Daniel looked around, trying to figure out who had called him. "Jack? Did you call me? Teal'c?" Both his friends answered in the negative. "Huh. Okay. I must've just – imagined it. I guess," he added softly, still quite sure that someone had called him, but knowing his friends wouldn't lie. He gazed around, suddenly not quite sure that they were alone.

---------

After about an hour, Jack called a halt. Sam said the energy readings were getting stronger, but that could just mean that the power source was much more powerful than they had anticipated, and that it was still quite far away.

They all sat down in a small cavern they'd come across, accepting Teal'c, who stood against a wall. They broke out the food, and took a much needed break. They were all eating quietly, enjoying the silence between them, when Jack looked up. "Hey, does anybody feel that?" he asked. "It's sort of like a vibration… No, more like loud humming. I didn't notice it till we got to that one huge chamber back there. It's gotten louder since then."

Teal'c nodded, having noticed it even before the colonel had, but not mentioning it. "I have heard and felt it, O'Neill."

Daniel was gazing off into space, as if he saw something there. "Daniel, didja hear me? _Daniel!_" Jack yelled at him.

Daniel jerked back to the present, startled. "What?"

Jack sighed. He hated when Daniel got wrapped up in the language and history of a planet. He was probably thinking about the symbols in the Stargate chamber. "I said, have you felt or heard any strange humming?"

"No, I haven't."

Jack looked at Sam. "Me neither," she told him, wondering how it was that Teal'c and Jack were hearing something that neither Daniel nor herself could hear.

Jack stood up. "Oookay, then, I guess we're just hearing things." Teal'c didn't think so, but he didn't say anything about it. "Come on, Campers, we've still got a lot of crystal to cover!" he said with a grin as everyone else stood up.

They had all started to follow Sam, when Teal'c told them to hold. They looked back, and saw the Daniel was walking quickly back the way they'd come. He didn't look right; something in the way he was striding eagerly forward without seeming to see where he was going made the hair on the back of Jack's neck stand up. "Daniel, come back here! Daniel! DANIEL!"


	5. Chapter 5

It couldn't be. There was no possible way for him to see who he was seeing. She was dead, had been for four years. But there she was, his Sha're, walking in front of him, guiding him to wherever it was she wanted him to go. He would follow, of course; there was no doubt in his mind that he should follow her. He wished she would slow down, though, so they could walk together. Oh, there was so much he wanted to say to her, tell her how much he missed her, how much he loved her. She looked just as she did, the last time he saw her, before she was made into a Goa'uld, and lost to him. She looked back at him briefly, to make sure he was still following. She smiled at him, making his heart beat faster, and his feet move quicker. Why wouldn't she stop? Wait a minute. He slowed down, wondering suddenly how it was that she was here. She was dead, he'd seen Teal'c shoot her, watched as the life left her veins. He knew she was dead, just as he knew that she was standing in front of him, alive and well. How was this possible? The ringing in his ears made it hard for him to think. "Sha're…" he murmured, holding out his hand to touch her face as she drew nearer to him, concern in her dark eyes.

"Come, my Daniel," she beckoned, the way she pronounced his name making him smile. "It is not much further." She took his hand, and led him down another corridor, one he'd yet to explore. He wondered, vaguely, where the rest of SG-1 was, but forgot about them after a moment. The music drew him, calling to his heart, making him forget everything except for his love and yearning for his beautiful wife, Sha're.

O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c watched as Daniel practically ran through the caves, seeming to know where he was going, one hand outstretched as though following something just out of his reach.

"Daniel! Where are you going!"

"Daniel!"

"Daniel Jackson! Stop!"

They gasped in horror as they entered a new crystal chamber. Even larger than the one where Daniel had found his crystal, this one had only a thin ledge leading around the outside, encircling a large gaping pit. The bottom of the pit, more than 100 feet down, housed razor sharp crystals. Daniel was heading straight for the edge, not seeming to realize the danger.

Teal'c leaped into action, Jack only seconds after him. They tackled him against a wall, fighting to keep their struggling from getting up again and walking into the death trap. Sam kept watch for them, trying to see what had lead Daniel to this cave. She saw nothing, heard nothing but Daniel, yelling at them that he had to get to Sha're, he had to follow her.

Seeing no immediate threat, she went over to Daniel. Jack and Teal'c had him pinned against the wall, where he continued to fight them with all his strength. Sam crouched in front of him, and looked into his eyes. They were glazed over, unseeing – he probably didn't even realize that it was his friends who detained him.

"Daniel," she said calmly, taking his face in her hands and making him focus on her. "Daniel, it's me, Sam. Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill are here too. It's just the four of us. Sha're isn't here, Daniel. She's dead. She's not here." Daniel's eyes started to come back into focus. He stopped fighting his friends, and looked around in surprise.

"What-" he started to ask, but suddenly seemed to remember. "Sha're!" he yelled, getting up and looking around him. "She was here, leading me! Where did she come from? What happened?" He looked to his friends for answers, but they couldn't explain why he'd rushed into the cave with such purpose.

"Daniel, there was nobody there. You were by yourself. You didn't hear us, you just kept walking towards this cave. I think you were going… going to walk right into that pit," Sam explained, motioning towards the dark hole in the middle of the cavern.

Daniel walked over to the edge of the pit, gazing into its depths. Jack and Teal'c watched him apprehensively for any signs of wanting to dive into it again, but he remained calm. He swallowed hard, and backed away from the pit. "What came over me?" he whispered, thinking about how real his wife had seemed.

Jack made a decision. This was just getting way too creepy for his tastes, and he didn't like it when his teammates lost control of what they were doing – which seemed to happen far too often for his liking. "Well, I guess that's the signal then, kids!" he said, clapping his hands together and standing up. "We're packing up. I don't know what's wrong with this planet, or with Daniel," this received a glare from the archaeologist, "but we're outta here." With that, he lead the way out of the cave and back into the tunnels.

"Okay, Carter, which way is out?" he asked, indicating the three directions they had to choose from.

She gazed at her three choices, confusion written on her face. She checked her compass, which did no good because, as far as they could tell, the poles on this planet did not attract the needle of a compass, and looked up again. She took out her instruments for measuring the energy output of the power source, and frowned. They read zero. She finally turned back to the colonel. "I don't know, Sir. We got all turned around when we followed Daniel." Daniel looked crushed, thinking it was his fault.

"Bottom line, Carter?

She sighed. "Bottom line, Sir, is that we're lost. And I have no idea how to find our way back.


	6. Chapter 6

"What do you mean, we can't get home? How is that possible? I didn't think we'd come that far!" He ran his hand through his hair, struggling to think of a way to get his team home.

Sam shrugged helplessly. "Well, Sir, neither did I. I guess we were all so intent on getting to Daniel, we didn't realize how far we'd gone."

Jack turned to Teal'c. The big Jaffa always knew where they were, and was always able to find their way back for them. He was the best tracker they knew. "Teal'c, ya think you can get us outta here?"

Teal'c studied their three directional choices, uncertainty written on his normally blank face. "I am unsure, O'Neill," he admitted finally. He pointed at the tunnel on the very right. "I know that that is not the way we came, but the other two could be."

O'Neill sighed. He hated to do it, but it was obviously necessary. "Okay, gang, it looks like we've got to split up. Sam, Teal'c, you can take the middle tunnel. Daniel and I will take the one on the left." He didn't say it out loud, but he wanted the archaeologist near him, where he could make sure he didn't run off again. "Mark your way with those glow sticks." Which is what we should've done in the first place. "Keep in radio contact. If you find the gate, give us a buzz, we'll find you. Stay where you are once you've found it. Check back every 15 minutes." He looked at Daniel, hoping that whatever had happened to him wouldn't happen again. "Okay, let's move out!" His team split up, making their way through their designated tunnels.

Sam cracked another glow stick, the sound echoing through the caverns. She threw it down on the floor as she continued to walk with Teal'c. The big Jaffa had been silent throughout their exploration. "Teal'c, what do you think was wrong with Daniel?"

Teal'c thought that over. It had appeared as though Daniel Jackson was following some sort of vision. "I am unsure. There is a word for what he was following, _lelteck_. Among Jaffa, when a warrior becomes dehydrated and delirious, he begins to see things in the distance, beckoning him. When he gets there, it has disappeared."

Sam looked surprised. "Teal'c, we have that among humans, too. It's called a mirage."

"I see."

She looked around, deciding to take the lead. "Teal'c, I'll take point. Let me know if you think we're getting close." She walked on ahead of him, scouting their way.

Five minutes later, she turned around to tell Teal'c that it was time for them to check in with the colonel and Daniel. The big Jaffa was gone.

"Teal'c!" Sam yelled, forgetting stealth and silence, remembering how Daniel had just taken off. She cracked a glow stick to mark where they'd been, and took off down the tunnel, yelling Teal'c's name all the way.

The music engulfed him, making his forget all his cares. He followed the sound, and the woman in front of him, not thinking about how she had died from a sickness when her symbiote had matured. It was just enough that Drey'auc was there to lead him home.

"Colonel O'Neill, come in! I repeat, I think that whatever was wrong with Daniel, Teal'c has it too! Colonel! Jack! Come in! Daniel, are you there? Where are you guys!" Sam gave up on shouting into her radio at them. It was obvious that whatever was happening to Teal'c had already happened to the both of them, too. It looks like Daniel was wrong, she though grimly. The Sirens aren't just a myth. And they only affect the men, not me.

She wondered what she would do when she caught up with Teal'c. She rounded a corner, and, having finally caught up with him, quickly decided on a course of action. She zatted him, and tied him up. "Sorry, buddy," she whispered to her unconscious friend as she stuffed earplugs into his ears. "This is for your own good." She made sure the ties were secure, and ran off back the way they'd originally came. She needed to get to Jack and Daniel before they ran off a cliff or something.

Sam ran back to the crossroads, and followed the guys' glow sticks. They ended right in front of an impassable crystal wall. Since she knew Jack would have picked up his markers and replaced them somewhere else once he'd found out they were walking down a dead end, she knew that this was not the route Jack and Daniel had taken. Someone had moved the sticks. She turned around to go back the way she'd came, but the glow sticks had disappeared. Whoever moved them didn't want Sam to find her friends. And, once again, Sam was lost.


	7. Chapter 7

"Charlie?" Jack whispered, unable to believe that his son was standing right in front of him, as though he'd never shot himself, never died in that hospital seven years ago.

Charlie grinned, the infectious smile that Jack still remembered. "Of course it's me, dad." He reached out, and took his hand. "Follow me. It's not safe for you here." Jack wanted to argue that it was more dangerous for Charlie, who couldn't defend himself, but forgot what he was going to say. That beautiful music surrounded him and his boy, following them as Charlie led the way to safety.

"Damn it, Daniel, come in!" Sam shouted into her radio. She again got no response. Disgusted, she clipped it back onto her vest, and continued down the tunnel. She took out her instruments, to see if she was close enough to detect the power source. No such luck. She sighed as she put it back in her pack. Sam suspected that the Sirens might have been blocking the power signal. They obviously didn't want her to find her friends. She guessed that the only way to find her way to them was to keep searching – at least, that was the plan, until she thought up a better one.

"_The female is strong," Thelxiepi thought to her companions. _

"_Yes. She is trying to find the rest of the males," Pisinoe thought back._

_Aglaope gazed down at the female, invisible to the eyes of mortals. "There has never been a female before. All those that have sought our treasure have been males, hungry for power and glory. These mortals are different. Not just the female. The males do not desire our power for their own purpose. I do not believe they even knew what it was they were looking for. It is the female that was leading them."_

_Pisinoe contemplated the group. "It is obvious that the human culture has advanced considerably. They are finally realizing that females are not the weaklings males have always made them out to be." _

_The others laughed. "We're proof of that, aren't we, sister?"_

_Aglaope looked up suddenly, as if seeing something in the distance. "Mine has awakened. I must go to him." She floated off, singing as she went._

Teal'c opened his eyes. He appeared to be tied up. How had that happened? He looked around. Where was the rest of SG-1? Oh, yes, they had split up. Alright, so where was Major Carter? Nowhere to be found. There also seemed to be something in his ears that blocked out all sound. He had called for Major Carter, but he couldn't hear himself do it. He struggled to reach his knife. No good. He was tied up too well. Okay. So. He was tied up, in a dark crystal tunnel, alone, and unable to hear whatever might sneak up on him in the dark. Now what? Teal'c sighed. He was on his own. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate. Sure, he couldn't kel'nor'reem anymore, but he could try and catch up on some sleep.

Daniel looked around, confused. Where am I? he wondered, gazing around in mystification. Last thing I remember is Jack saying something about Charlie, and – he blinked, tears suddenly filling his eyes. His parents. They had been there, talking to him, guiding him home. But that couldn't be. They were dead, had been since he was a child. It was just like with Sha're. He seen them, but he knew they couldn't be there. How was it that this kept happening to him? The last time, it had taken two grown men, beating him against a wall to make him stop daydreaming. How had he broken out of his 'trance' this time? He thought hard, trying desperately to remember. Sam. She'd been trying to contact him with the radio. She'd been screaming at him. It must've been easy for him to break free from the mirage a second time, after having to do it once before.

It seemed that Sam had bee right about the Sirens. With a sigh, Daniel pulled out his earplugs that he used whenever they stayed overnight on a planet – Teal'c snored – and stuffed them in his ears, blessing the fact that he knew his myths and how to counteract the Siren's song. He looked around for his weapon, certain he wouldn't find it. He was right. He picked a direction, and headed off in search of Jack. If these Sirens were showing them their loved ones, then Daniel was pretty sure he knew who was leading Jack. And it would not be easy to convince him to leave the song of the Sirens.


	8. Chapter 8

"_My song no longer works on the glassy-eyed one," Pisinoe informed her sisters._

"_Nor does mine," Aglaope thought back._

"_Mine is working far better than it has in many years. This mortal has many painful memories to draw on for my song." Thelxiepi smiled predatorily. "He will not last long."_

"Sam?" Daniel said into his radio. "I don't know if you can hear me, and if you can, don't bother trying to answer me. I've got earplugs in so that the Sirens can't get to me again, and I can't take them out. You woke me up when you were yelling into the radio awhile back. I'll try to find the gate. You get Jack and Teal'c. Daniel out." He had no idea if Sam had heard him or not, or if he even _could _find the gate, but for the moment, all he could do was keep searching.

The situation was getting serious. He'd been tied up for hours, with no way for him to reach his food or water. Teal'c had assumed that whoever had tied him up would return before he got hungry, but that was obviously not the case. So, it was up to him to find a way out of this.

He'd had a lot of time to examine his bonds, and saw that they weren't rope, but the thing black plastic ties used by SG-1. Alright, so it was one of them, probably Major Carter, who had tied him up. He'd been working for the past few hours to get his hands to his belt knife. He finally reached it, and cut himself free.

He stood up, and took stock of himself. He had no weapons – well, that was to be expected – and he was rather stiff from sleeping against the wall. He started to reach up and pull out his earplugs, but he stopped himself. If it really had been Major Carter who had tied him up, then she'd had a good reason for it. The same went for the earplugs. Teal'c decided to leave them in.

He stretched, picked a direction, and started walking. Teal'c would find something eventually.

Okay, that's good. Daniel's back with us, Sam thought. He's up and looking for the gate. Come to think of it, Teal'c's probably awake by now, too. Knowing him, he's probably set himself free, too. Hopefully he wouldn't take out the earplugs.

Carter went around a corner for the thousandth time, hoping the she'd see the Colonel just around it. No such luck. In fact, it was another dead end. She sighed as she turned back around, wishing for the hundredth time that those bloody Sirens wouldn't move her markers so she could see which way she'd already gone. She went down a corridor she thought she hadn't been down yet, and started hiking.

Sam had been walking along for about an hour when she turned another corner, yet again wishing she'd just find Jack. And, finally, there he was, walking along as though in a trance. She blinked, amazed that she'd finally found him in this labyrinth, and tore after him. "Jack! Jack! It's me, Sam! Jack, turn around!" She screamed at him as she ran. Sam eyes widened as she realized that Jack was heading right for a huge gaping hole in the middle of the cave, just as Daniel had done. No time for pleasantries, she thought grimly as she slammed her entire body weight into the Colonel, jamming him into the wall. He looked at her with unseeing eyes, as though he were staring at something far off in the distance. "Jack?" She asked quietly, trying to get him to come back to her. He started to say something.

"Sa-?" Jack started to say, confused. Didn't he know her? What was she doing here? "Charlie? What's going on?" He asked his son, who seemed to know everything about this place.

Charlie looked frightened and angry at the same time. "It's a trick, Dad! She's just an illusion! She's not real, she's trying to hurt me, Dad! Don't let her!" Charlie stood five feet away from Jack. The illusion-Sam was between him and his boy. He couldn't let it hurt Charlie.

"Yes, Jack, it's me, Sam! Whatever you're seeing, it's not real!" Sam pleaded with him, trying to wake him up. She was reaching into her vest pocket to grab some earplugs to jam into his ears, when he jerked. Sam fell over as he stood up, towering over her as she scrambled to regain her feet.

She looked into his eyes, but saw only anger and hatred in them. "Get away from my boy," he growled. She tried to reach up and jam the earplugs into his ears, but he batted her hands away. He struck her across the head, making her fall back. She tried to get to her feet, but he knocked her away again.

"Jack…" She whispered, reaching for him as he again began to move towards the gaping black pit. "Please, Jack, don't… It's me, Sam…" He ignored her – or didn't hear her over the Siren's song. He was now only a few feet away from his death, and getting closer.


	9. Chapter 9

It looked pretty hopeless. She was too far away from him to be able to physically stop him from walking into the pit. She fumbled in her vest pocket, looking for the only thing she thought had a chance of stopping him now – a tape deck.

Months ago, at that fateful high school reunion, Sam and Jack had danced to You're the Inspiration, the first time they'd ever danced together. Since then, that song had taken on special meaning for the both of them. Sam had it on tape, and occasionally they'd dance to it at her house, gazing into each other's eyes as they thought about how it was sort of this song that had brought them together.

Sam had that tape loaded into the tape deck, ready to play. She'd brought it with her, just in case, not even really knowing why. Now she took it out, and pressed play. She turned up the volume as loud as it would go, the music echoing off the crystalline walls; _You're the meaning in my life, you're the inspiration. You bring feeling to my life, you're the inspiration._ Sam watched him, fingers crossed, desperately hoping it would work. Jack kept walking.

Jack paused, something changing in the sounds around him. The sweet, enticing music was being overpowered by something else. Something familiar. And Charlie – Charlie was disappearing, becoming dimmer and dimmer. Wait a minute – that was their song, Sam's and his. That meant, Sam- He looked around, wondering where he was, and how he'd gotten there. Where was Sam? She had to be there. "Sam?" He asked, normally, then he yelled it. "Sam!" Oh God, now the memories were rushing back. He'd hit her, hit her hard, Charlie, he was there, but he wasn't real, Charlie's dead, Jack, he wasn't here…

"I'm here, Jack," Sam croaked, fighting to stay conscious after his vicious backhand.

He crawled over to her, barely able to stand after what had happened to her. He cradled her head in his arms, rocking her, saying over and over, "I'm sorry, Sam, I'm so sorry!" He didn't know how long they stayed like that, just holding each other, before Sam looked up at him, tear in her eyes.

"It's alright, Jack. I'm fine. But, we can't find the Stargate. Daniel and Teal'c both have earplugs in their ears, so they can't hear us over the radio. There's no way for us to get home. Unless…" She looked around, thinking. She struggled to her feet, the concussion making her dizzy, but finally managed to stand with Jack's help. "Hey!" She yelled at the ceiling. "Sirens, listen to me! We don't want your treasure! We just want to go home! You can't get to these men anymore, we've found ways to counteract your songs! Just let us leave, and I promise you, we'll never bother you again!" She went silent, the blood roaring in her ears. She didn't know if her yelling at the Sirens would do any good, but it was her last option.

"_She's right, sisters. She has defeated us, and saved her companions."_

_Thelxiepi, Aglaope and Pisinoe all looked at one another. They thought, unanimously, "It is done," and they began to sing._

"Sam, what are you…" Wow, he suddenly felt really sleepy. So sleepy, in fact, he thought he'd just lie down and take a nap right there.

Jack slumped to the floor. "Jack? Jack!" Sam shook him, trying to wake him up. "What have you done to him?" she shrieked into the air.

_You have won, human._ The sound didn't come from human throats, or indeed any kind of throat. It resonated in Sam's mind.

"Who are you?" she demanded out loud.

_We are the immortal ones, the ones you call Sirens. _A pause, as though the 'speaker' was embarrassed. _You have beaten us. You are free to leave. Close your eyes. _Sam was too tired to do anything but comply. She felt a deep, overwhelming sleepiness overwhelm her, and she sunk to the floor next to Jack.


	10. End

"Oh, look, he's coming to." Hey. He knew that voice. He opened one eye. A very pretty face looked into his own.

"Janet," Daniel croaked. "What happened?"

She smiled at him, pleased to see that he was so alert. "Well, you guys were long overdue to check in. So, General Hammond opened the gate and tried to contact you guys. When that didn't work, he sent a MALP through, to boost the signal. The MALP saw that the four of you were lying near the stargate, unconscious. He sent SG-4 to go and get you."

Daniel blinked. He remembered feeling very, very tired, but he knew that he wasn't anywhere near his other teammates, and he certainly hadn't been near the gate. "How did we get there?"

"We were hoping you could tell us, Daniel."

Daniel was even more bewildered than he was. "I have no idea." Something occurred to him. "Where's Jack, Sam and Teal'c?" he asked her, hoping they weren't hurt.

She smiled again, unhooking him from some of her machines. "Well, Teal'c woke up about three hours ago. He's in his quarters, catching up on sleep. Colonel O'Neill only just woke up about 10 minutes ago, but Sam is still out." She frowned. "I think she may have a slight concussion. There's some definite bruising around her right temple. But I think she'll be fine. She's in an isolation room. Colonel O'Neill is with her. He's not talking about what happened."

That worried Daniel. He was pretty certain that the Sirens would have shown him Charlie, and they all knew how much Jack loved his boy. Who knew what would have happened, if, say, one of them got between him and Charlie? "Can I go see them?" Really, he was more worried about Jack than Sam. She'd had much more serious injuries in the past. Jack's pain was deeper.

Dr Fraiser sighed. "You're still pretty weak, Daniel. But, I'll let you go see her, as long as you're in a wheelchair. Colonel O'Neill is, too," she added, in case he was about to complain.

Daniel didn't really care. He just wanted to see his friends. "Fine, that's fine. Thank you, Janet."

By the time they had gotten Daniel into his chair, Teal'c had joined him. He pushed his friend down the hall, listening as Daniel explained his part of the adventure. "…So I stuffed some earplugs in my ears, tried to tell Sam what was happening over my radio even though I wouldn't be able to hear her if she responded, and started looking for a way out." He craned his neck back to look at Teal'c. "What happened to you?"

The Jaffa remained expressionless, despite the painful memories surging within his mind. "I saw Drey'auc. She was leading me out of the caves. Then, I believe that Major Carter must have zatted me, for I awoke a few hours later, bound, with foam in my ears, sitting against the wall. I managed to get to my knife and cut myself free. I then began searching for the stargate."

Daniel could sympathize with Teal'c's pain – after all, he'd seen his dead wife, too. "I'm sorry, Teal'c," Daniel said. Teal'c just put a warm hand on Daniel's shoulder – there was no need for words.

Teal'c wheeled Daniel into the isolation room. Jack was in a wheelchair beside Sam, holding her hand and stroking her hair. She was still unconscious.

"Hey, Jack," Daniel said comfortingly as Teal'c pushed him around to the other side of Sam's bed. "What happened with you?" Even though he was pretty sure what had happened, he still wanted to know.

Jack looked up, his eyes haunted. "I saw Charlie, Daniel. He was leading me to safety. But, then Sam came and – the Charlie illusion told me she wasn't real. He told me to protect him. I - I hit her, Daniel," he said, pain in every word. "I hit her hard. She still hasn't woken up yet. What if I-" he broke off, looking down at Samantha.

Daniel stared at Jack till he looked back up at him. "Jack, it wasn't your fault. Sam had to shoot Teal'c to make him wake up," he said, glancing back at the big Jaffa.

"Really? Are you guys both alright? I asked Fraiser, she said you were fine, and I didn't want to leave Carter…" He trailed off as Sam opened her eyes. She looked right up into Jack's worried brown ones.

"Sir?" Old habits die hard.

He squeezed her hand, smiling down at her. "I'm here, Sam." He lost his smile, and looked away. "God, I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry. I-"

"Jack." He looked back at her. "Jack, it's alright. I'm fine. I know you were under their spell. It's not your fault. Speaking of which," she looked over at Teal'c. "I'm sorry for shooting you, Teal'c, but you were kinda off in your own little world."

He nodded to her, and attempted a smile. "It is alright, Major Carter. Thank you for stopping me."

She grinned back. "Anytime."

Daniel cleared his throat. "So, um, Sam, what exactly happened? I mean, okay, the Sirens sang a song that made all of us guys see past loved ones, and it didn't affect you, but what did you about that?"

Sam grinned up at him, and they all settled in to hear her story. Hammond came in halfway, and she had to start all over again. The men each added their own parts to it, and when they were done he said that that served as their briefing, they could all go home when Dr Fraiser cleared them.

They were all ready to head home – Sam had been cleared by Janet, but Jack was gonna stay with her for a few days, just to make sure she was okay. They were all walking towards the elevator – they were taking Teal'c to O'Malley's for dinner – when Daniel stopped. "Hang on, I found this crystal in the caves, it's in my vest pocket. I'll be right back." He took off down the corridor.

Jack just shrugged and put his arm around Sam. "Hurry up, Daniel, or we'll leave without you! Teal'c gets cranky when his blood sugar's low, remember?" Teal'c cocked one eyebrow.

Five minutes later, Daniel came back. "It's not there. I checked all over," he said, puzzled.

Sam looked a little guilty. "Um, I sort of left out a little detail…"

Daniel looked at her sharply. "What?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well… When the Sirens dropped us off at the stargate, they let me wake up for a minute. They said they would return all of our stuff, if we'd return what the glassy-eyed one took. I finally figured out they meant you, Daniel, and I kind of went through all your stuff… Sorry, Daniel, but I had to!" she protested in response to his disgruntled look. "Anyway, I took it out, put it on the ground, and it just disappeared all of a sudden. Then, all of our stuff that we dropped just appeared, all around us. That's when I passed out again," she concluded.

"Oh," Daniel said, looking slightly bewildered. "But, wait. We didn't drop anything! We came back with all our weapons, and our food wrappers and stuff! What did they give back?"

Just then, a phone on the wall started ringing. The SF at the desk picked it up, listened for a moment, and handed the phone to Jack. "It's for you, Colonel."

He picked it up, and after listening to the person on the other end, turned to Carter with a smile. "It's Hammond. He wants to know why there was a huge pile of dead glow sticks beside us when they found us."


End file.
